Rewarding Yourself
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mazurkiepolish wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »mazurkiepolish wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »If you think the foods you aren't eating are unclean, why would eating them be a "reward"?
Where did I say that?
I'm sorry if I misunderstood. When you asked if people allow themselves "a meal" as a reward, I assumed the meal would in some way be different than what you normally eat. I mean, you do have meals every day, right? So a reward meal would be different than the "clean" food you normally eat? If that's not what you meant, maybe you could explain what you did mean.
I’m sorry, my post was a little vague. I cut out a lot from my diet when I started losing and that’s ok because I overall feel so much better versus when I was eating a lot of not so good food, but sometimes I crave a pizza from Pizza Hut or a sub from Jim’s steak out. Or a whopper. I was wondering if anyone allows themselves a meal every once and a while and if it affects their progress
About once a month, when I would cycle 100+ km on a Saturday or Sunday, I would have pizza or something after the ride ... because I could afford to do so. I had enough calories to work with. A win-win situation!!
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I try not to reward myself via food. I do it once every 3 weeks. Otherwise i reward myself with new gear for cycling. Sunglasses, shoes, helmet, bike parts, etc.1
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Food can be a treat, but food shouldn't be a reward for humans. Food is a reward for lab rats.
If you don't 100% enjoy 100% clean eating, eat 80% clean and 20% treats. Hit your nutritional targets, get plenty of nice, varied, colorful fruits and veggies, and you'll do fine. I doubt you'd notice much/any difference in how you feel, vs. "eating clean" (except the aura of virtue - LOL
).
Even pizza and whoppers have nutrients, and they contribute to your nutritional goals. Have a couple of slices of thin-crust pizza, and a big green salad. Have a Jr. Whopper.
As long as you pay attention to your nutritional goals (enough protein, enough fats, enough fruits/veggies), and as long as you hit your calorie goal the overwhelming majority of the time, it won't hurt your progress. (In fact, if your only goal is weight loss, only the calorie part matters . . . but most of us think it's good to be healthy as well as thin, so nutrition and exercise are good goals, too.)
When you reach some milestones in your fitness and weight loss, reward yourself with new (smaller) clothes, some exercise toys (I like boats, myself ), a massage or facial or mani/pedi, attendance at a special concert or other event, or even an indulgent aromatherapy bubble bath and some "me time" if you just have a particular productive day . . . non-food rewards. 1 -
Food can be a treat, but food shouldn't be a reward for humans. Food is a reward for lab rats.
Disagree with you. Nothing wrong with food being a reward. My son did a great job behaving himself in daycare while I was taking a yoga class? "Good job playing nicely with younger kids and listening to the grownup! want to stop next door at Panera and get a cookie before we run errands?" He gets verbal reinforcement, a treat, and a chance to take a break/adjust to the fact that now we are going to the store.
I would say food shouldn't turn into a bribe (IF you behave, I will buy you a cookie) and shouldn't derail your efforts if attempting to lose weight, control cholesterol, etc. by going overboard or happening too frequently. There are some restaurants that I like we rarely visit. Either too far away, parking is difficult, expensive. Going there for a reward would be a great treat.
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I eat all food in moderation and stay within my calorie budget for the day. I don't really know what is "clean or unclean" food. It is all food. Everything (except water) has calories. I am just learning to make better choices and to not eat more calories than my body burns.
The reward is in my going down another size.1 -
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And? There is no logic to this statement, just an implication that dogs are lesser. How does "not being a dog" mean a person can't reward themselves with food?
What a dog can't do is plan for a distant future reward and resist temptations in the meantime. I on the other hand, have the ability to say "I want to go have cheesecake with my SIL when she visits in two weeks, so in the meantime I need to not have to keep to the planned eating/exercising and make sure the rest of my eating that day is healthy and low calorie."8 -
My rewards have been better clothes and running vacations. I eat what I want as long as it fits my calories.1
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FireOpalCO wrote: »Food can be a treat, but food shouldn't be a reward for humans. Food is a reward for lab rats.
Disagree with you. Nothing wrong with food being a reward. My son did a great job behaving himself in daycare while I was taking a yoga class? "Good job playing nicely with younger kids and listening to the grownup! want to stop next door at Panera and get a cookie before we run errands?" He gets verbal reinforcement, a treat, and a chance to take a break/adjust to the fact that now we are going to the store.
I would say food shouldn't turn into a bribe (IF you behave, I will buy you a cookie) and shouldn't derail your efforts if attempting to lose weight, control cholesterol, etc. by going overboard or happening too frequently. There are some restaurants that I like we rarely visit. Either too far away, parking is difficult, expensive. Going there for a reward would be a great treat.
We'll agree to disagree, then. I don't believe in using food as a reward. I think it encourages unhelpful thought-patterns around food.
In some scenarios, I'd consider a visit to a special restaurant as a reward, on the experience front, just like a visit to a concert (where I might also plan to consume a caloric and non-nutrient-dense beverage(s)). I know that's parsing things pretty fine, but to me, delicious food is delicious food, one of the routine pleasures of life. It's been a goal during weight loss and maintenance to plan my eating for not only proper calories and good nutrition, but also maximum enjoyment within the calorie budget. . . routinely, not as an unusual "reward". I don't eat foods I don't enjoy. Life is too short, especially at my age.6 -
Im trying to lose about another 10-15 lbs....down 25+ already, plus I have problems with certain FODMAPs. At first I tried to be a diet nazi, but soon realized I was grumpy, depressed, and miserable. Then it hit me, why am I doing this to myself? I'm pretty disciplined (6yrs in the Marine Corps), so finally figured out for me, if I don't feel like working out heavy today, I don't. If I don't feel like working out AT ALL today, I don't. If I have a food craving, I can usually put if off for a day or two or three, but eventually it builds...and when that happens, I go and enjoy myself. Now I don't get a triple cheeseburger like I use to, but a single every once in a while isn't the end of the world, and keeps me from saying to hell with this diet crap. Now I am always able to get back on track the rest of the week without hating life. IMHO, good mental health is imperative to obtaining good physical health.
So while I don't go overboard day after day after day, I do allow myself to enjoy the things I like, not beat myself up over them, and learn to appreciate the hard work and goals I have achieved, as well as appreciate the the cheats I indulge on occasion, be that food, buying a new guitar, or just taking a day and not doing a damn thing for a change. Life is too short, and often way to *kitten* as it is, without me making myself even more miserable.2 -
FireOpalCO wrote: »Food can be a treat, but food shouldn't be a reward for humans. Food is a reward for lab rats.
Disagree with you. Nothing wrong with food being a reward. My son did a great job behaving himself in daycare while I was taking a yoga class? "Good job playing nicely with younger kids and listening to the grownup! want to stop next door at Panera and get a cookie before we run errands?" He gets verbal reinforcement, a treat, and a chance to take a break/adjust to the fact that now we are going to the store.
I would say food shouldn't turn into a bribe (IF you behave, I will buy you a cookie) and shouldn't derail your efforts if attempting to lose weight, control cholesterol, etc. by going overboard or happening too frequently. There are some restaurants that I like we rarely visit. Either too far away, parking is difficult, expensive. Going there for a reward would be a great treat.
And that's not setting your child up for a bad relationship with food in his future as an adult?6 -
FireOpalCO wrote: »Food can be a treat, but food shouldn't be a reward for humans. Food is a reward for lab rats.
Disagree with you. Nothing wrong with food being a reward. My son did a great job behaving himself in daycare while I was taking a yoga class? "Good job playing nicely with younger kids and listening to the grownup! want to stop next door at Panera and get a cookie before we run errands?" He gets verbal reinforcement, a treat, and a chance to take a break/adjust to the fact that now we are going to the store.
I would say food shouldn't turn into a bribe (IF you behave, I will buy you a cookie) and shouldn't derail your efforts if attempting to lose weight, control cholesterol, etc. by going overboard or happening too frequently. There are some restaurants that I like we rarely visit. Either too far away, parking is difficult, expensive. Going there for a reward would be a great treat.
And that's not setting your child up for a bad relationship with food in his future as an adult?
I'm pretty sure if I was, the team of therapists he has in his life would be stepping in. He has autism & ADHD and is very underweight, is never hungry, and refuses to try new foods (which is one of the things his therapists are working on). If I was trying to short cut his feelings with "don't cry, here's food" or bribing him with food whenever I needed him to do something, that would be an issue. Instead we rely on a lot of liquid calories like Pediasure Grow & Gain to keep this kid alive and he gets extra scheduled snack times at school where he is required to at least try to eat.5 -
FireOpalCO wrote: »FireOpalCO wrote: »Food can be a treat, but food shouldn't be a reward for humans. Food is a reward for lab rats.
Disagree with you. Nothing wrong with food being a reward. My son did a great job behaving himself in daycare while I was taking a yoga class? "Good job playing nicely with younger kids and listening to the grownup! want to stop next door at Panera and get a cookie before we run errands?" He gets verbal reinforcement, a treat, and a chance to take a break/adjust to the fact that now we are going to the store.
I would say food shouldn't turn into a bribe (IF you behave, I will buy you a cookie) and shouldn't derail your efforts if attempting to lose weight, control cholesterol, etc. by going overboard or happening too frequently. There are some restaurants that I like we rarely visit. Either too far away, parking is difficult, expensive. Going there for a reward would be a great treat.
And that's not setting your child up for a bad relationship with food in his future as an adult?
I'm pretty sure if I was, the team of therapists he has in his life would be stepping in. He has autism & ADHD and is very underweight, is never hungry, and refuses to try new foods (which is one of the things his therapists are working on). If I was trying to short cut his feelings with "don't cry, here's food" or bribing him with food whenever I needed him to do something, that would be an issue. Instead we rely on a lot of liquid calories like Pediasure Grow & Gain to keep this kid alive and he gets extra scheduled snack times at school where he is required to at least try to eat.
So, really not so much a reward for behaving as taking advantage of an opportunity to get calories into an underweight child who resists eating. And this is such a major fact to your story that omitting it in an argument that there's nothing wrong with food being a reward is like someone omitting the fact that they have a severe allergy to strawberries in an argument that people shouldn't eat strawberries.7 -
Two weeks seems to be the goldilocks state for me. 1 week use to be great but I felt like I would get better results if I didn't have a huge calorie and junk day every two weeks
I tried going 3 and even 4 weeks but to be honest that was simply just miserable. I was losing my sanity waiting to finally satisfy my cravings0
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